/a thought of art, identity & travel /

Main Menu

The Festival of Nabi Hud in Hadramawt

In different time of the year, pilgrims/visitors across the world come to Hadramawt to participate in festivals. The followers have built the tomb to the Prophet Hud, and the place is well known as the Grave of Hud. A religious festival is held there from 6th to 10th of Sha’ban. There are several historical places in Hadramawt which the natives still call by the name of Dar-‘Ad (Abode of ‘Ad).

The Arabian Prophet Hud is believed to be the direct successor of the Prophet Noah, and is considered to be the father of the people of Southern Arabia. He is buried in the Wadi Hadramawt in Southern Yemen and his tomb has been a place of yearly pilgrimage since pre-Islamic times. The Festival was first formalized in the 13th century and today attracts more than 100,000 devotees to the remote valley.

The Festival of Nabi Hud is a striking illustration of the all-embracing universality and acceptance embedded in traditional Islam,” said Peter Sanders. “For many centuries Muslims have gathered to honour an ancient Semitic Prophet who pre-dates the advent of Islam by about three thousand years without a shadow of doubt or controversy. In the troubled and turbulent times we live in, the deep, serene spirituality of the pilgrims to Nabi Hud reflects a profound inner sanity and a moving and salutary alternative to the materialism and neurosis of the modern world.